"Dad's gonna kick your ass when he gets home" Christian muttered. Arran kept quiet and let the light snip of scissors distract him from his anxiety that always seemed to build up when his dad came home. Winston Harley wasn't a good person... He didn't spend a lot of nights with Christian and Arran at the house which was relieving but annoying at the same time. He fixed and detailed cars for a living and often traveled to nearby towns without much context as to why he went.

Winston Harley was a traditional man. He liked cars, guns, beer, and poker. Four things Arran had learned everything about just for his approval. He taught Christain and Arran to shoot when they were seven and eight, starting with bb guns. He taught them everything there was to know about every car that ended up on their property too. Those were the only times Arran remembered genuinely enjoying his dad's company...

He knew Winston wasn't a good person. He knew that his dad was responsible for a lot of people's hurt and suffering. He knew that his dad hated him for being gay and had threatened his life for it a dozen times. But as twisted as it all was, Arran still wanted his approval. He still wanted him to like him. To love him and to be proud of him like he was of Christian.

"He won't find out" Arran mumbled. Winston also had strict rules about Emrys... Emrys wasn't allowed to come over, he wasn't allowed to talk to him or to be within close proximity of him. But Winston was gone so often that Arran never listened. As long as Winston wasn't home, Arran clung to Emrys like his life support. He was the only thing that kept Arran sane at this point. That kept him from turning in to his dad completely because he knew Emrys hated that. He knew Emrys hated guns and yelling. That he hated negativity and closed-mindedness.

"He always finds out" Christian reminded him. He carefully ran his fingers through Arran's hair before another snip could be heard and another lock fell to the floor. Christian always cut Arran's hair... He was the only one Arran would let cut it. Maybe it was because he liked the small moments like this he got with him. Where they could be brotherly rather than Arran being terrified of Christian. Or maybe it was because he didn't trust anyone else not to ask questions when they spotted any scars Arran kept hidden.

Christian wasn't supportive of Emrys and Arran... Christian actually hated anything remotely gay and had beaten enough kids because of it. He was a homophobic bully and nothing more. But he was good to Arran for the most part... Not because he supported him, but because he knew he got enough shit about it from his dad. Christian always did his best to cover for Arran. He always settled down Winston before things got too serious and was surprisingly protective of Arran.

"Then I'll handle it... I always do" Arran muttered.

"Just stop seeing him. It would solve all of your problems" Christian reached for an electric trimmer and carefully worked toward the usual fade. Arran had naturally wavy and sometimes curly hair, but he liked to keep it shorter now. He liked it short on the sides and a bit longer on the top, but not so long that it became a messy mop of curls. He knew Emrys liked otherwise... But he just couldn't tolerate long hair.

"No" Arran deadpanned. "Emrys is my best friend... It's not that simple" Christian scoffed at the word friend.

"Bullshit" Christian scoffed. "You act like I don't live with you and like you don't come home from his house covered in hickeys"

"He has three sisters" Arran deadpanned. "One of which is only a year below me. Could just as easily be from her than Emrys"

"But they aren't" Christian reminded him as he finished up Arran's hair and began packing his things. "I'm not going to be here forever to make sure he doesn't kill you"

"Fuck off. I got it" Arran waved Christian off despite knowing how right he was. How easily his dad could shoot him in the head in one of his episodes. The look of disgust in Winston's eyes whenever he'd as much bat an eye in Arran's direction. How close he had come to becoming the next dead fag in Asper Hollows. It was all just a matter of time.

_________________________________________

Arcadia Valencia. There were a lot of things Bonnie could say about them while at the same time barely knowing her. Arcadia had moved to Asper Hollows three years prior and at first, she had been beloved by the whole school. Everyone knew she was pretty, especially Bonnie. Sophomore year Bonnie had been given the blessing and curse of having Arcadia as her lab partner for biology. She was pretty, funny... Always had such a nice laugh.

Arcadia Valencia was popular. Everyone liked her or if they didn't they wanted to be her. She smiled a lot, liked to tease others, and always seemed like this ray of light in the dark cave of Asper. Then she got a girlfriend... Olivia Woods and the whole school turned on her... Including Bonnie. Bonnie was insecure. She wanted to fit in and to be liked by others... She would button her blouse before biology, she stopped laughing at Arcadia's jokes, she even forced herself to stop trying to be more like her.

Bonnie felt guilty for how things ended... Olivia couldn't take the bullying and her parents moved them out of town, Arcadia lost most of her friends and became a sort of outsider too. Looking back on it, Bonnie liked to think she would have done something if she had known any better. But she knew she was just kidding herself... Bonnie did what others asked of her and never strayed from being normal.

Bonnie bit down on her lip as she risked a glance over at the skater girl. She was talking with the new kid, Scooter she believed their name was and a familiar face known as Zara Moons. She was jokingly shoving Scooter by the shoulder as she laughed at something they said... It had been a long time since Bonnie heard her laugh. She almost wanted to go over and talk to her-

"Do you think Tj will actually put an effort into asking me to prom?" Hattie asked. "I know we're dating and all but those posters are such a cute way of asking and I think it would be so cool"

"Huh?" Bonnie snapped back into reality and glanced down at the energetic blonde at her side. "Oh... Um, I'm not sure"

"Where's your head at?" Hattie lightly joked before following where Bonnie had been looking moments before. "Are you looking at the new kid? She - They are kinda cute. Don't ya think? Like in a totally platonic kind of way" Bonnie nodded along although she hadn't been looking at the red-head at all.

"I guess" Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I was just a little curious... That's all" She risked one last glance over at the odd trio feeling a pang in her chest before looking away from them for good.

"Alright then" Hattie hummed. She smiled as they passed a young freshman. She was small with round glasses and a dorky smile. Her brown hair was long and pencil straight and her face was covered in freckles. "You're really pretty" Hattie hummed as they passed her receiving a polite thank you in response. That was Hattie...

Hattie loved everyone. She was kind and polite, always gave out compliments and motivational speeches. If Bonnie didn't know her personally, she'd believe that Hattie was perfect. That she didn't have a trouble in the world... She was privileged and had money, she was pretty, white, straight, and popular. Bonnie would be envious if she didn't know how much pressure Hattie was always under... If she didn't know about Hattie's rough history with her stepbrother. As far as Bonnie knew, only she and Tj knew about it.

She trusted Hattie more than anyone. She trusted her not to judge, to be kind, and to love everyone. If Bonnie ever did want to tell someone about her feelings toward other girls, it would have been Hattie. Even before her family. But she never found the courage to do so... How could she when she could barely accept it herself? In Bonnie's eyes, it was okay for anyone to be gay except herself.

"Aren't we supposed to study with Emrys today after school?" Hattie asked, cutting Bonnie out of her thoughts.

"Not anymore... Sorry, I forgot to tell you. He was hungover during class so I offered to move it to another time so he could get some rest after school" Bonnie shrugged.

"Weird, I didn't know there was a party" Hattie mumbled.

"Me neither... Maybe he just went out drinking with a couple of friends? Arran didn't show up today so maybe him" Bonnie offered. Hattie seemed satisfied with Bonnie's assumption and they left it at that. And then her mind wandered back to the pretty girl standing at Scooter's side.

_________________________________________

Scooter took a step toward the nice townhouse before siking themself out again. They internally groaned as they glanced down at the book in hand. Arcadia had asked them to deliver it. It wasn't a big deal... It wasn't like they were actually talking to the beautiful man. They were just dropping off a new text-book that had been passed out... Scooter took one last deep breath before forcing themself to the front door and ringing the doorbell.

A delightful sequence of bells faintly echoed and Scooter jumped as the loud barks and growls of a dog caught them by surprise. For a moment, Scooter thought nobody was home. Nobody was coming to the door or quieting the dog... Scooter debated leaving when the dog finally shut up and the door opened to reveal the handsome god Scooter had briefly met the night before.

"You're not Arcadia" Bay deadpanned. Scooter hesitated and found themself lost for words... Again. Bay wore a nice white collared sweatshirt and light blue jeans with numerous patches sewn into them. His hair was neatly styled and his face and hands were clear of paint this time around. "Is that for me?" His eyes flicked down to the book and Scooter quickly nodded.

"Um... Yeah," Scooter reached for the back of their neck, quickly extending the book to him with his other hand. "Sorry, Arcadia asked me to drop it off. She had to go home early" Scooter mumbled. Bay nodded and carefully examined the book cover before meeting Scooter's gaze.

"Would you like to come in?" Bay offered. Scooter nodded feeling surprised as they followed Bay inside. They were met with a skeptical Dobermann that carefully sized up Scooter as if they could do any damage.

"Your house is lovely" Scooter awkwardly commented as they examined the white staircase and salmon-colored tile floors. In the distance, they could see a nice living room was a large flat-screen tv and leather furniture. Everything about it screamed rich boy.

"Thank you... Where are you from?" Bay mindlessly asked. He walked up the stairs and Scooter assumed they were supposed to follow him. They trailed behind the pretty boy, more focused on trying to keep from rambling or growing flustered. Scooter was very collected in most scenarios. They had always been good at talking to people, making friends, and joking around. But they couldn't talk to pretty people to save their life. Or more specifically, pretty boys.

"Maryland" Scooter shrugged. "Moved in with my aunt last week... Are you from Oregon or...?"

"Born in Asper Hollows, raised in Asper Hollows, will likely die here too" Bay half-heartedly explained. He led the way into a gorgeous gallery room decorated and canvases. Some were covered in colorful paint, others were plank or rough sketches. But they were all hand-painted by Bay or at least would be soon. "Although, my family visits our extended family in Portugal often enough" he added before nodding towards a red sofa in the corner. "You can sit there if you'd like"

"Why don't you go to school?" Scooter asked as they took a seat and watched Bay return to his work.

"I have better things to do" Bay shrugged. "Nobody there really piques my interest and there's nothing they can teach me that I can't figure out on my own" Scooter nodded and stared off at the dog poking his head inside. A small smile reacher their face and they quickly extended a hand. "His name is Rocko"

"From Rock's Modern Life?" The smile on Scooter's lips widened as Rocko carefully sniffed their hand before allowing them to pet him. Scooter laughed as he nuzzled up against their hand and the tough guard dog persona melted away.

"You've seen it?" Bay chuckled. "It was my favorite show growing up"

"Mine too... Well, after Fraggle Rock" Scooter scratched Rocko's ears and slid off the sofa and onto the floor so they could love on him. Bay had been cold and empty for the most part. Their last interaction had been nothing more than an introduction before Bay got dragged into painting another insect on someone's cheek. Afterward, Scooter had stuck by Arcadia and had a drink or two before Zara showed up. They had seen Bay smile when he was proud of his work, but he was very quiet... Never spoke much. "You have a lot of friends... I assumed someone with a lot of friends would enjoy school"

"I enjoy painting and being alone" Bay deadpanned. Any progress Scooter had thought they'd made had quickly diminished the moment they'd mentioned school. "I only go in person to pass around the invites to Burrows Mansion... As for the friend's thing, well, they aren't my friends I just know them" Scooter suppressed a laugh as Rocko licked their cheek and brought their gaze back to Bay.

Bay's smile was gone and replaced with a straight and stone-like expression. Scooter couldn't imagine locking themself away from the outside world... It sounded lonely. Scooter needed to be around people to function. They couldn't spend a day alone, much less however long Bay spent locked away behind these walls.

"Do your parents just not care? Because my mom would kill me for even missing a day of school" Scooter mumbled.

"My parents are in Portugal. And even if they weren't, they wouldn't notice I didn't go. I have seven siblings" Bay rolled his eyes before refocusing on the gentle brush of his pencil. "Which reminds me, I have to drive down to the shop tonight so I think it's time you left" Scooter nodded, despite feeling put off by the sudden coldness in Bay's voice. They had grown used to the disinterested and half-hearted comments. But never so cold or shallow...

"Um... Alright, I'll be on my way then" Scooter gave Rocko one last scratch on the head, smiling down at him. "Goodbye Rocko" Their voice was lighthearted due to the dog's presence, but the moment their attention moved to Bay their smile fell. "Bye, Bay"

Emrys practically danced around his room as he listened to the familiar party songs and carelessly tossed his belongings into random piles that he claimed were organized. They weren't but his grandparents and sisters had given up telling him otherwise.

Emrys lived with his grandparents his entire life. For a while, his mom and dad lived with them but they got bored one day and ran off to Vegas to go waste Emrys's college fund. He hadn't seen them in ten years, but occasionally he got a birthday card. Usually, they got his age wrong though... Last year he got a card wishing him a happy fifteenth birthday. On the plus side, they gave him a fifty-dollar Itunes gift card... He had an android, but he was able to trade it. It was the thought that counted.

Emrys always tried to stay light-hearted and optimistic. Not for him, but for the pessimists around him. The pessimists being his grandfather, his sisters, and Arran. He tried to stay energetic and to keep busy with things. He never took too long in the shower, always had plans after school, read a book until he was too exhausted to have time to think before bed... The usual.

If he thought things through he'd overthink them and nothing would ever happen. If he just vibed and didn't think at all, something would happen eventually and there was a chance it could be good. And if it ended up being bad, at least he had a fun story to tell in the end... Like that time he played baseball with a wasps nest. That was the day he discovered he was allergic to bees and went to the hospital for a week. Arran had threatened to beat his ass when he got back for being so reckless...

Arran was an overthinker. Emrys didn't think at all. Arran coped through aggression. Emrys coped through humor. Arran denied everything good and bad. Emrys accepted everything good and bad. Arran was pessimistic. Emrys was optimistic. Arran was an introvert. Emrys was an extrovert. They were polar opposites but that was why they got along so well.

"Emrys" Pheobe cut into his thoughts and pushed open his door without bothering to knock. His family had issues when it came to knocking... And they wouldn't even give him a door that locked. It had led to way too many mortifying experiences... And an accidental coming out to the sibling closest to his age, Elana when she discovered him watching gay porn. That was the most awkward experience of his life. And he hadn't learned a single thing from it because it happened on multiple occasions. But it wasn't his fault his family never learned to knock either.

"No" Emrys deadpanned. "Unless you have food, my answer is no" Pheobe rolled her eyes and threw a package of fruit snacks at him.

"Can you drive me to Peyton's tomorrow?"

"Peyton...? Peyton Steel? Ew, no" Emrys ripped open the package and popped a red one into his mouth. "As repulsive as you are, you're out of his league"

"Ew, no. It isn't like that" Pheobe groaned. Pheobe was short and scrawny like Emrys once was before he hit a growth spurt freshmen year and reached a couple of inches above average. She had long wavy black hair and the same tan skin and brown eyes. Emrys didn't look too much like his family, but they were also the only Hispanic family in town so everyone recognized them as siblings. "I just have homework"

"Well, I can't drive. My license is suspended" Emrys shrugged. "Ask Abuela or Elana... Or better yet just walk"

"Ugh" Pheobe rolled her eyes and yanked her bribery of fruit snacks out of Emrys's hand before slamming his door shut. Emrys rolled his eyes and collapsed back onto his bed, reaching for a book to read until he passed out. But instead, there was a tapping at his window. His head shot toward his window and a smile reached his face as he spotted his blonde boy... With a haircut.

"Hey" Emrys grinned as he pulled open the window. "Could have come through the front door" He scoffed as he helped clear out space in front of the window so Arran could climb in.

"Didn't feel like interacting with your family" Arran mumbled.

"Don't blame you" Emrys chuckled before seeing just how lost and distraught Arran was. "Is everything okay?" Arran nodded and Emrys finally got a good look at him. His eyes were baggy and exhausted, his shirt was wet from the rain and clung to his skin and his hair was soaked. It wasn't much different than usual... But something was just off. "I didn't know you were coming over today..."

"Can I stay the night?" Arran asked, ignoring Emrys's previous statement. Emrys shrugged and headed toward his closet to grab Arran a dry t-shirt. Arran was a lot taller than Emrys, but Emrys liked baggy clothes so they usually fit Arran well enough. He grabbed one of his baggiest t-shirts before throwing it at Arran with a small grin.

"The shower should be available but I can't promise my sisters didn't use all of the hot water" He lightly joked in an attempt to get a smile from Arran. Anything would do... Arran nodded and carefully peeled off his shirt before draping it over Emrys's desk chair. Emrys had seen Arran change a million times... They were best friends... But that never stopped him from shamelessly checking the boy out. Only this time, he found a large bruise on Arran's side. "Holy shit, are you alright?"

"Yes," Arran deadpanned before throwing the old and worn shirt over his body. He kicked off his jeans, leaving him in his boxers before collapsing onto Emrys's bed. "Um... Winston came home today" Arran quietly admitted.

"Oh," The curly-haired boy's face fell because he knew Arran wouldn't talk about it. He knew Arran would just tell him to piss off if he asked. The best way to deal with Arran after Winston was to just make it known that Emrys cared for him without flat out saying it. "Have you eaten today? My Abuela made tamales... There's still some in the fridge"

"Not hungry" Arran hummed. Emrys sighed and shut off his bedroom light before climbing into bed with Arran. He wasted no time in pulling Arran close to him and placing a series of kisses on the top of his head. Usually, if Emrys could get Arran to cuddle with him at night Emrys was the clingy one. Emrys would have his head on Arran's chest and his arms wrapped tightly around him... But not today.

Because today, Arran needed him a but more than he needed Arran. So today his heart was dancing as Arran rested his head on his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist. Emrys carefully played with his damp hair in hopes that he was helping relax him just a little... Emrys knew Arran was only with him because he thought Emrys was his only option. But it was moments like these that gave Emrys hope... Hope that Arran could feel the same way about him as he did about Arran. He just had to pray it wasn't false.

Question of the chapter: If you could meet any celebrity, alive or deceased, who would it be? Mine would be Anna Kendrick because I'm literally in love with her.